Song

8/27/2008

Park Slope: 295 5th Ave (and 2nd st) - (718) 965-1108

Price Range: Cheap Eats

Rating (1-10): 6

Song is a neighborhood "go-to" restaurant when you need take out, delivery, or a satisfying but cheap - yet somehow fancy - sitdown meal. It's solid, generously-portioned Thai food in a sleekly designed restaurant. I've enjoyed all my meals here - standard Thai fare: pad thai, masaman curry, green curry, fried rice, chili basil sauce krapow dishes, spicy noodles, etc. In short, it gives you your money's worth and probably more. If you're looking for Thai and you're in Park Slope, look no further. (If you're in Carroll Gardens area, you can call on its identical sister restaurant Joya).

Of course, if you're being critical, Song isn't super gourmet and the menu doesn't change a lot so it could get old if you go too much. The service could be better and the music is sometimes too loud. It's not daring or innovative from a strictly culinary perspective...but it does what it does well.

The service is friendly enough and fast. The design of the place is clean and contemporary and there's a nice, quiet backyard if you want the outside dining. You can also go to a pretty cool looking bar for a drink if that's all you want. All this for sub-$5 appetizers, sub-$7 pad thai/noodle dishes, sub-$8 curries, and moderately priced drinks.

The consistency, good taste, affordability, and "hip feel" of Song are make it one of the better cheap eats places I've been to in New York.

Barrio

8/9/2008
Park Slope: 210 7th Ave (and 3rd St) - (718) 965-4000
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 7


If you find yourself strolling around the Park Slope neighborhood or vicinity, you should stop by Barrio for a relaxed atmosphere and solid Mexican food. I thought a rating of 7 might be high but in the end, decided it fair considering for the atmosphere, the quality of the food, and the value.

The food is fresh and light - a pleasant change from other Mexican joints that, though satisfying, leave you feeling like jabba the hut. I enjoyed the flavors in all of the dishes that I tried - and the variety of flavors in particular: delicious calamari-conconut flavored rice with spicy grilled shrimp; a "chile arbol" peanut mole, which tastes strongly of peanut and goes with a roast pork; or a chicken enchilada in a red salsa puree with more typical heat and a bit of tanginess. The seasoned doesn't burn your mouth out or go crazy with one element - sweet, sour, spicy, etc - and offset the balance - in fact, the food both in taste, freshness, and composition achieves a nice balance.

The fish tacos appetizer - though small in portion - were light and pleasantly simple, letting the ingredients be themselves with cilantro, cabbage, and citrus. The Yucatan shrimp dish were meaty, juicy (and not rubbery), strongly seasoned, and nicely charred. And the chicken enchilada was gone in about 5 minutes - the cheese (a crumbled queso fresco), raw onion, red salsa sauce, along with the chicken and tortilla were simply a great combo that and no part of it was unpleasant.

Improvements could be made - such as the addition of a starch to the Puebla pork dish, which would have been better served over rice to catch some of the pork juice and sauce. And I do wonder about the authenticity of the menu - some of the stuff they could do without like the chile caesar salad or granola and yogurt served at brunch. The concern is not only that it makes it disappointingly generic, but also might bring into question the ability to produce real Mexican food. It strikes me as a lack of confidence to stick with one true theme.

As enjoyable as the food at Barrio is the atmosphere, particularly in the warmer weather with all the open windows and a large outdoor eating area, looking out onto the stoller-filled, but pleasant and spacious intersection at 7th ave and 3rd st. With relaxing music (which I can't name) playing through the speakers and friendly, personable, unpretentious servers, the ambiance is calming and struck me as a place you could come back to consistently, for casual dinners, dates, or just to chill and grab a quick drink or bite. Although the owners seemed to have gotten it right with a lot of things about Barrio, the color selection of the exterior awning is a bit odd - bright orange and pink. On the one hand, its loud and vibrant and is about energy, but it's a bit of a shock. They say that people go crazy sitting in a red room - sitting under the awning outside on a sunny day might be a good place to conduct that experiment. I opted to sit inside given the heat lamp-like glow. I'll go when it's nighttime.

When I first visited Barrio, the service was a bit cluttered since it was one of the first weeks of operation, but they have since gotten into rhythm and continue to be a friendly establishment. Although it is possible to rack up a hefty bill here, especially if you get into the drink menu, there are more than enough very reasonable items so that you don't get to the cusp of feeling a significant pinch on the wallet. Given the fun atmosphere, good value, and quality of food, I wouldn't be surprised if Barrio starts to build up a contingent of neighborhood "regulars." I'm considering it myself.

Walter's Cafe

7/18/2008
Portland, Maine: 15 Exchange St - (207) 871 -9258

Price: Mid-Range

Rating (1-10): 6

Walter's Cafe is an enjoyable dining experience set in a nice space in the heart of the port area of Portland, Maine. The food is ambitious but is hit or miss, the wine list is good, and the service is decent. All in all, it's not bad but it's not great. You should go here for the ambiance and the steak, but several of the dishes were disappointing.

Steer clear of the caesar salad which was unremarkable and simply a head of romaine on a plate with some caesar dressing and cherry tomatoes. Zero points for ingenuity on a barely passing caesar. I would also not recommend the lobster pasta or the mushroom pasta, both of which come with a delicious sounding description but end up being somewhat boring. The ingredients - lobster and wild mushrooms respectively - sound amazing and then come out and are kind of ho-hum, maybe not the best usage (for example, I'd rather just have the lobster in the shell with butter and lemon).

The star here is the steak and I would definitely go back just for that. It comes with a stilton butter, which is very nice and adds that strong salty flavor. Also on the plate is sauce bordelaise, which is fine and doesn't hurt, but it's more just along for the ride. The meat is incredibly tender and delicious. I was savoring every bite and wish there was another. It has been a while since I've had a steak this good in a restaurant, and fortunately, it's not at steakhouse prices.

Walter's Cafe is a pretty good restaurant and it might suit your fancy but it's not a place that left a particularly strong impression or elicits a strong recommendation from me. Unless you're talking about the steak, which blew my mind.

Standard Bakery

7/18/2008
Portland, Maine: 75 Commercial St - (207) 773-2112
Price: Cheap Eats
Rating (1-10): 8

Standard Bakery is a haven for baked goods. Maybe it's a general thing about bakeries, but happiness just seems to pervade this place.

Standard is the kind of place that makes you look forward to waking up so you can stumble over and get a coffee and chose a treat of your choice - scone, croissant, cookie, or some other torturously good looking thing. It's probably not the most healthy thing in the world, but in small doses, it won't kill you. The breads, which are also served in Standard's upper-scale sister restaurants, are high quality as well and could be a satisfying meal by itself.

The staff is friendly and the atmoshere is warm, as a bakery should be, although as far as seating, there's only really a small patio area just outside of the front door. As long as you're not looking for an elaborate sitdown breakfast or brunch, this is all you need to chill out and enjoy a quick bite.

So if you're in Portland, Maine and looking for a simple breakfast or baked goods, this is the place to be.

Street and Co

7/17/2008

Portland, Maine: 33 Wharf St - (207) 775-0887

Price: Mid-Range

Rating (1-10): 7

Street and Co is the kind of restaurant that seems to blend perfectly with a quaint costal town like Portland. The food is solid and comes out with exciting presentation, but above all, the ambiance gets you in the mood for a cozy New England seafood experience. Service is casual here and it's not particularly remarkable but it's friendly enough.

Dim candle light, exposed brick, bunches of dried herbs hanging from wooden ceiling beams, simple white tshirt server uniforms, and an extremely aromatic interior all contribute to a rustic, warm atmosphere. It's a lot easier said than done to create this kind of environment without it being cheesy or forced or pretentious. The 'organic' feel is kind of trendy right now but Street and Co feels like a place that was onto it long before.

The food is more or less Italian with heavy doses of seafood, which you expect and want, being on the water in lobster capital USA. Many of the dishes (presumably those cooked on the stovetop) come out served in an actual beat-up saute pan, which adds to the simple and straightforward idea - no dots and swirls and Miro-looking dishes here. The mussels appetizer is truly delicious, with a rich, garlicky broth. You could just dip bread (which is from nearby Standard Bakery and also delicious) into this broth all night and leave totally happy. The crab and avocado appetizer is uncomplicated and fresh with a very generous serving of crab; it's a good selection if you're looking for light, healthy, unadulterated taste of the sea - the only downside is that the meat is mostly broken up and you don't get the large lumps o' crab that offer big, meaty bites.

The plates get more dramatic with the entrees, headlined by the lobster diavolo: a mammoth two person pasta in a saute pan, loaded down with a red sauce packed with an assortment of seafood including mussels, squid, lobster in the shell. When you see this on the menu, you figure, "when in Rome..." The diavolo is good enough but the joy of this dish comes less from the taste of the food and more from seeing the presentation and all the stuff in the sauce. The food itself could use some refinement: the sauce was quite oversalted, for one. And when cracking the lobster claws, water came rushing out into the dish, watering down the sauce. Clipping the ends of the claws prior to putting it in the dish would drain a lot of this water. The more simple lobster with butter-garlic sauce over pasta is a similar dish that tastes better - but perhaps it's not as exciting or chaotic as the diavolo. But one thing to emphasize is that with either one, and most any other dish I saw, is that you get your money's worth. These are very generous portions and they don't sacrifice the quality of the ingredients. I like places like this because it feels very hospitable.

The service is a bit scattered but not intended to be super-high end anyway. They might forget a thing or two that you ask for, or more than one person might come over and ask you the same question. But the weaknesses are not egregious and the bottom line is that you come to have a good time, and in places like these, you don't hold the staff over the fire. You get friendly, warm atmosphere and pleasing food for good value. Of course, for Street and Co to take it to the next level and really be a place that grabs a spot in your heart, it'll have to improve the personability and attention to detail in its service.

When you go visit Portland, Maine, I think it's this kind of dining experience you're looking for. You come to the town because you want to cozy, quaint, relaxed feel - and you want to get hit over the head with seafood. Street and Co delivers well on all of those things.

Makoto

6/28/2008

Washington DC: 4822 Macarthur Blvd NW - (202) 298-6866

Price Range: High End

Rating (1-10): 5

Full Review:

My recommendation for this place is easy: pass. If you're considering going, it probably means you're willing to spend some cash, and if you're gonna do that, you can find a more enjoyable experience elsewhere. At Makoto, treating patrons with tact or a true sense of hospitality is apparently optional. The food would actually be pretty average in Japan but they seem to be pretty impressed with themselves. What concerns me is that people will walk away thinking that Makoto and its austere, cold service are characteristic of authentic Japanese; that's not how it is supposed to be done. Both the food and the service should be artful, and they only come close with the former. I don't buy the hype about Makoto; I'm convinced it gets the kind of praise that it does largely because there's just a dearth of good Japanese restaurants in Washington DC.

A while back, I stopped in for a fine lunch, but our service at dinner was strikingly bad. Upon arriving at the restaurant, we were greeted with a curtain, and were unsure if we should peek in and announce our presence. When a server clad in a kimono emerged, she informed us that we would have a short wait in the shoebox sized waiting area, and gave us a wooden box to sit on. It was a few minutes before our 8 o'clock reservation (which required that we give a credit card number); we waited until 8:40 to be seated, with untruthful promises that we would be seated shortly sprinkled in periodically.

In one awkward moment during our wait, a couple entered the shoebox waiting area and two servers emerged - and then got into an uncomfortable exchange bordering on argument. After a momentary pause, the servers turned their attention back to the couple and found that their reservation was lost. The matter was sorted out and the head server then yelled (literally) that she needed to speak with her subordinate immediately in the kitchen. Once the comically uncoordinated servers left the shoebox, we looked over the at the couple and all of us acknowledged the strangeness of the exchange we had just witnessed.

It's also interesting to note the signage that greets you as you walk into the restaurant, and prepare you for the experience here. On the center of the front door is a gold plaque reading "Proper Attire Required." Then, inside the door, another plaque more specifically stating the dress code, prominently displayed on an otherwise undecorated wall. Directly below that is a sign telling you to turn off your cell piece. And finally, on the opposite wall, another sign declaring that the restaurant is not responsible if any of your stuff gets taken from the foyer area. Not exactly the most welcoming decor.

After being seated, we were hungry. We knew that we would be ordering the tasting menu, so my mother asked on her way to the bathroom if we could order as soon as possible. Before she was able to return, the head server flew over to me at the sushi counter and forcefully explained that I should order because we had asked to do so, shoving the menu in my hands and pointing vigorously at my options. There was a false friendliness that barely masked the server's overall impatient, temperamental, highly abrasive demeanor. How could a restaurant put their front of the house in the hands of such a colossally unpleasant woman?

After ordering, we were brought a kind of sake that we didn't actually want. It turns out we had ordered the wrong kind, partly because we ordered in Japanese and our server did not understand. At the risk of sounding insensitive, I found it troublesome that a server at Makoto would not speak Japanese - not only because it's a place that seems to insist so strongly on being traditional in its ways, but also because items on the menu, including the sake, are written in Japanese. What's the point of this if you have to translate it for the server anyway? In any mid to high-end French restaurant, I would expect that the server will have the training to recognize any item written on the menu in French, even if he/she doesn't actually speak fluently. So should it be anywhere where a menu item is written in a foreign language.

Before the food came out, I checked if I had any new text messages on my phone which was on silent. The head server flew at me once again yelling (again), as if I had stepped on the baby Jesus. She said that I had to turn off my phone immediately and that they would stop service if the chef saw me checking text messages. Perhaps what I did was insulting to the chef, which I take the blame for - but I cannot accept the reaction as a rational way of dealing with the situation.

And this was emblematic of the way our experience was in general: I understand why they have their rules and I understand the spirit behind it. But at almost every turn, they lack grace and tact in the way they enforce those rules. As a result, it feels contricted, stiff, and unfriendly. For example:

• I probably shouldn't even be checking my phone, but I don't need to be screamed at or told that they might not serve me. An alternative is to ask politely to refrain from using my phone in the restaurant; or better yet, if she had explained that the chef takes his craft very seriously and would like me to focus fully on the experience he is trying to deliver. Not only would I respect that, it would be a learning experience for me.
• They don't have to display prominent gold plaques that tell you all the things you're not supposed to do as you walk into the restaurant.
• They don't need to take your credit card number when you make a reservation, which comes off as some kind of veiled threat; rather, they could ask for your phone number and call to confirm your reservation prior to your arrival.

I don't find the reasons for what they do objectionable, it's the manner in which they do it.

The food is good - but as you might guess, it really was not the focal point in this atmosphere. The meal was nicely presented and sometimes quite delicious. For $60, the tasting menu is a decent deal because you get 9 courses including dessert, and the plates are probably about as good of Japanese food as you'll find in DC. Unfortunately, there isn't much drama or excitement as the dishes are brought to you. Instead, it feels like the courses are churned out in a machine-like fashion, as if there's a dish on deck for you as soon as the one you're working on can be bussed away. All the better though: with the service the way it was, I was ready to pound out the courses like a set of push-ups and get on my way. Here's a rundown:

#1: Opener of smoky, smallish green beans and conch. The conch is light, tastes nice.
#2: Nice sashimi plate was nice and came with a fresh grated wasabi which is always better. The tuna in particular was flavorful and meaty but still tender.
#3: A playful dish - salmon sashimi wrapped in a thin layer of radish in a cream sauce with a tomato, in a yellow boat-shaped dish. That was good, although somewhat unremarkable other than the visual. On the side was a piece of unagi (eel) on toasted bread sprinkled with cheese - weird and unnecessary. The other part of this dish was kombu (kelp) on a scallop which was outright disgusting. The strong kombu flavor complemented the scallop in a way that made it taste rotten.

#4: A deep-fried crab not with tempura batter or panko but with broken up osembe (rice crackers). It's a novel idea but again not necessary as the layer of osembe (though crunchy, salty, and delicious) overwhelmed the crab both in mass and in flavor. You need a big thick chunk of crab to make this work; anyting that's not the body, therefore, is more like a stick of fried osembe and a waste of crab meat. It's good with lemon and salt.

#5: Steamed fish with greens was one of the best dishes: flavorful, tender fish and vegetables in a broth of typically Japanese stock flavor.
#6: The sushi plate was disappointing considering the praise this place gets as one of the premier sushi places not only in DC but on the east coast. Not only were the sushi pieces too similar or the same as the sashimi plate, it was as small as I have ever seen. This is iSushi and unlike an iPod, smaller is not better.#7: I chose a common Japanese preparation of miso-flavored broiled orange roughy was light and nice in flavor but overcooked and surprisingly tough. Another option, the yellowtail is more tender and a meatier fish. #8: Last of the savory dishes, the soba dish, my favorite partly because of its refreshing nature but mostly because of the broth, which is made at the counter and adjusted for flavor by the chef. It's very good - the most memorable flavor of the night. The noodles are cooked to a perfect texture and there are several options for your garnish. I had the grated yam, which was nice.
#9: Dessert - a yuzu sherbet which was a nice ender to the meal: icy, not too sweet, with the yuzu flavor refreshing your mouth. If this was at an icy stand in my neighborhood, I'd probably get it 5 times a week.

Overall, I just didn't feel that the food was remarkable, certainly not enough to excuse the gruff treatment. In Japan, this place would be average, and there the top notch places may have many rules but they'll be revealed to you in far more subtle and artful ways. You'll follow them out of respect for the establishment naturally, not because they are harshly imposed upon you. And at no point would their sense of courtesy slip; for example, yelling at a customer would be inexcusable. Of course, to be fair, you'll also pay a lot more as well. But at the end of the day $60 per person warrants an enjoyable night out, and Makoto did not deliver that. If all you care about is the food, then maybe it's ok because it's as good as any Japanese food in DC and you'll get a full meal out of the tasting menu.

For me, it's a one and done.

Meskerem Ethiopian Restaurant

6/21/2008
Washington DC: Adams Morgan - (202) 462-4100
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 4

The quick and dirty:
Meskerem is decent. While it might be fun to come here and eat Ethiopian cuisine in a traditional way, sitting around a circular table and eating with hands and injera - the spongy Ethiopian bread, my recommendation is guarded: the food isn't that good, the service is mostly indifferent, and it can feel cramped and uncomfortable. The ball could roll either way - maybe good, maybe not.

To be frank, I'd forgo the authenticity of the experience for a more comfortable arrangement. It was more uncomfortable than fun, and the crowded room was noisy, making it difficult to carry on conversation across the table - which cuts down on the group experience that you're there for. The food is not bad but it all blends together - similar in flavor, color, texture, look. The menu is large but many of the selections have the same sauces only on different vegetables or meats. It's not bad but it's not somethng that I have a yearning to go back for. The service felt like they were just doing a job - seating you, getting you stuff, bringing you food, bringing you the check.

Like the food, our service was passsable but definitely unispired. If you're looking to eat Ethiopian food, I'd recommend trying some lesser priced fare elsewhere, sample around, and see what kind of Ethiopian food you like.


Full review:
Meskerem is decent. With a group of friends, it might be fun to come here and eat Ethiopian cuisine in a traditional way, sitting around a circular table and eating with hands and injera - the spongy Ethiopian bread on which the food is served. But my recommendation is guarded: the food isn't that good, the service is there but indifferent, and it can feel cramped and uncomfortable. The ball could roll either way - maybe good, maybe not.

While I appreciate an effort to create authenticity in the experience, given a choice, I'd forgo the realness of the experience for a more comfortable arrangement. I sat essentially knee to knee with the people sitting next to me, huddling over the table - on a fairly hot night with only decent air conditioning. And because I was eating with my hands, I sat unsure of what to do with them once they got messy, not wanting to touch anything. The crowded room was noisy and it was difficult to carry on conversation across the table, which cuts down on the group experience that you're there for. Call me conservative but the fun-vs-uncomfortable/inconvenient balance tipped in the direction of the latter.

The food is not bad but in my memory, it all blends together - similar in flavor, color, texture, look. The menu is large but many of the selections have the same sauces only on different vegetables or meats. We tried a sampler platter for the group and two shrimp dishes a la carte. A shrimp and vegetable dish was the best thanks to a strong shrimp flavor, but in both, the small shrimp were way overcooked. Chicken comes served on the bone - which, if shared, is a bit awkward when you go digging your fingers into the meat to rip off a chunk. But it's tasty with the sauce. At the end of the day though, it's not food that I have a yearning to go back for.

Though I found the manager of the restaurant to be friendly, his staff did not carry the same aura. Instead, it felt like they were just doing a job - seating you, getting you stuff, bringing you food, bringing you the check. While there was nothing offensive about the service, there was little done to make you feel like more than just another customer. Like the food, our service was passsable but definitely unispired.

I think people go here to eat Ethiopian food, not so much for this particular restaurant itself. If you're in that boat, then try some lesser priced fare elsewhere, sample around, and see what kind of Ethiopian food you like.

Cafe Gray

6/19/2008
Midtown: Columbus Circle, Time Warner Center
Price: Break the Bank
Rating (1-10): 9

A few thoughts, since this restaurant no longer exists. I went here with a friend during its last week before close to try the spring tasting menu, Gray Kunz's "greatest hits." For some restaurant go-ers, upper upper end, white tablecloth dining is unappealing as it stinks of elitism, discomfort, stuffiness, and severe cash loss. But when you enter a restaurant like this, with such warm and detailed-oriented service, it's hard not to appreciate the level of effort that goes into running an ambitious restaurant: this is great hospitality. As in any line of work, there should be people working this hard, investing as much effort, and trying to be as good as possible at what they do.

There are of course some more rigid etiquette rules in a place like this, but I'm very impressed with places that are classy yet comfortable. This is what Cafe Gray was. Multiple people are at your beck and call, making it seem as if there are no inconveniences at all. You're made to feel ok asking for anything, and they'll try very hard to find a way to accommodate you. The cooks personally deliver the plates to your table from the open kitchen. It's partly service, partly show and you're the priority. At the end of the night, one of the managers gave us a tour of the restaurant and kitchen, which overlooks Columbus Circle and Central Park - a restaurant view that's hard to top. It's expensive no doubt, so you should almost expect these things for the price tag, but it's nice to see when the restaurant delivers, because such meals can last a lifetime - and the memory can be of a value that cannot be captured in monetary terms.

The decor was actually a bit strange and seemed to be from a bygone decade; glitzy but too much brown, and in need of a refresher. But hey, it's a small gripe - I am no interior decorator, after all - and more to the point: the food, which was generally French-based but with lots of Asian twists (particularly Southeast Asian) was declicious and interesting. Not all of it was great but most, if not all, were memorable.

The mushroom fricasse risotto was the top dish - al dente risotto with incredibly deep mushroom flavor, garlic, and truffle oil. The essence of mushroom in this dish was awesome. One of Kunz's signature dishes is a coconut encrusted red snapper atop crab and green papaya, surrounded by a green curry sauce. It's good but overhyped - the meat was very juicy and tender but lacked dynamic seasoning and the crust was neither crusty nor coconutty. The best part, however, was the crab and papaya - which complement each others' sweetness and freshness surprisingly well. The braised short ribs course was a generous portion, served with delicious soft grits (and I usually can't stand grits) and mustard sauce. The meat was tangy and softened to a no-knife-needed consistency. It hits the spot for a slow cooked meat glutton like me, but I'd prefer if there were fewer flavors and more muted tanginess/sweetness (also, the presentation was a bit bizarre, not all that subtle or good looking). This was followed by a chilled lemongrass soup with yogurt lime sorbet and candied pistachios: refreshing, sweet and light after a lot of hot food, and the crunchy pistachios worked great with the flavor of the cold soup. The dessert, a hazelnut souffle and cardamom ice cream, was well-crafted but too sweet. But by that point, I was already at a level of happiness where I just didn't care and ate it anyway. Sometimes you just gotta be decadent.

It's unfortunate that Cafe Gray has closed. There were talented cooks and dedicated people working there and I hope that they find a good next step in their careers.

Go! Go! Curry

6/4/2008
Penn Station Area: 273 W. 38th Street (and 8th Ave) - (212) 730-5555
Price: Cheap Eats
Rating (1-10): 5

Full review:
Go! Go! Curry is a fun little joint, which serves fairly good value food for the price, and would be a great lunch break spot or quick and cheap meal to grab for dinner, by yourself or with a couple friends. Be careful though because you'll be really full and might not feel apt to work or do any kind of exercise afterwards.

People who have eaten Japanese curry tend to associate it with comfort and happiness. Mention Japanese curry and faces will light up, and empassioned discussion on the topic quickly ensues. For that reason, Go! Go! Curry, a small, simple joint inspires a good deal of excitement, at least with me.

Japanese curry actually came by way of England, which got it from its former colony, India. The Japanese variety has different spices and less heat than Indian curry, it's a bit sweeter, and usually contains a wider variety of rough cut vegetables (carrots, potatoes, onion, are common) - and of course, the rice is Japanese style, not basmati. Meets are sometimes stewed in it, or the sauce can be accompanied by breaded, deep-fried meat of some kind; it's flexible.

The Go! Go! Curry menu offers only 6 plates and several small sides, and it's all cheap by NY standards. The curry is rich in flavor, and certainly passable as Japanese curry. For less than $15, you'll be able to pick any of the entrees, which are sized as "Singles," "Doubles, and Triples," and get the appropriate fixins (cabbage, pickled veggies, etc.) This isn't the easily congealed-when-cooled Golden Curry variety - it's better than that, with better texture and more marrow flavor. It is a bit too thick however, and comes atop a pile of rice that is a soggy and overcooked. You'd do yourself well to chose one of the plates that comes with a serving of friend pork or chicken cutlet and/or fried shrimp atop your dish as well. (If you're gonna go...go.) Although the deep fried cutlets are very crispy, they're cut too thin and end up being dry and chewy. There's still plenty of reason to get it, but a slightly thicker cut would prevent this overdoneness.

The friendly, quirky, courteous young Japanese staff will take your order and call out your number when your food is up. For a place in this price range, don't forget how indifferent, disconnected, and outright rude cheap eats places tend to be. This is Japanese food with Japanese feel ("Birthday Happy Matsui" sign on the wall). They make an effort to make this place inviting and playful - and it all centers around Hideki Matsui whose number 55, which is everywhere, including in the phone number and name of the restaurant ("go" = 5 in Japanese). Most of the decor is homemade whether newspaper clippings of Matsui and other Japanese athletes or different construction paper cutouts/signs. The restaurant is about as fanatical about Matsui as Matsui is about porn - and both are a little strange. They're trying to provide atmosphere and character on a budget, and it's far more enjoyable than some kind of faux-nice but strangely ornate and obviously cheap decor.

You shouldn't come here expecting high-end cuisine or even the best curry you've evre had, but you'll get your Japanese curry on and leave very full, definitely satiated, and most likely sedated.

Wildwood BBQ

5/31/2008
Gramercy: 225 Park Avenue (nr 18th St) - 212-533-2500
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 6

The quick and dirty:
BBQ is fun and eating BBQ should be fun. That's why Wildwood BBQ is a success. The food is good, the atmosphere is lively, comfortable, and relaxed. The menu is manageable and straightforward, not too many items but all the ones that you're looking for. It's good for parties of all sizes and the menu allows for easy sharing and sampling, as bbq should.

Wildwood's food is close to on par with its neighbor, Blue Smoke, but it doesn't have quite the same level of coziness or atmosphere. The decor and feel of the place is a slightly forced faux-western with stereotypical bbq-ish things. This is very Gramercy western. But at the same time, who really cares? It's fun if you go with it.

The Memphis-style baby-back ribs are smokier than any urban bbq I've tasted, and have a good carmelized sweet-spicy glaze. The meats I had were surprisingly dry though: the ribs, the Texas smoked beef brisket and the pulled pork. The food isn't head over heels amazing but the flavors are nice and the sauces are pretty good. Luckily, you have the caddy of sauces on the table to douse your food. The chicken is not bad but it's nothin' particularly notable so you might as well go for the things that truly reak of bbq like ribs, brisket, or even a burger.

Wildwood's strength is its service. Our server was unpushy and friendly but also attentive - just what you want to go with your slow cookin'. It was clear that they cared - almost seemed like they embodied the youth of the restaurant and were working hard to establish themselves.

You've got a solid barbeque option in Wildwood. The service is fun and relaxed. The food doesn't astound but it'll satisfy your bbq fix. Hopefully they can figure out a way to retain more juiciness in their meats and add better sauces on the table but all in all, you'll get your money's worth.


Full review:
BBQ is fun and eating BBQ should be fun. If it's not, there's a problem. That's why Wildwood BBQ is a success. The food is good, the atmosphere is lively, comfortable, and relaxed. It's good for parties of all sizes and the menu allows for easy sharing and sampling, as bbq should.

But Wildwood isn't stunningly original. The most obvious comparison that comes to mind is nearby Blue Smoke, the bbq joint that has probably rooted itself most deeply in the hearts of New Yorkers. Wildwood's food is on par with Blue Smoke but doesn't have quite the same coziness or atmosphere. The decor and feel of the place is a slightly forced faux-western with stereotypical bbq-ish things: lots of exposed wood, chalkboards with menus scrawled on them, mason jar cups, iron beams, etc. This is very Gramercy western and it's a little too manufactured and new to be believable as authentic wild west environment (something that Blue Smoke is wise not to attempt). But at the same time, who really cares? You're there to have fun and as long as the food is tasty, you'll enjoy yourself if you just go with it. Blue Smoke remains the gold standard but still, the city is far from saturated with good bbq options - at least of the non-Dallas BBQ variety. As this restaurant grows and matures, people might gush about this place the way they do about its top competitor and neighbor.

The food is good and it's affordable, especially when taking into account the overall experience you get. The Memphis-style baby-back ribs are smokier than any urban bbq I've tasted, and come slathered in a delicious carmelized sweet-spicy glaze: the heat of the chipotle goes well with the raspberry, which has a nice sweet-but-not-too-sweet balance. The problem is that the ribs are surprisingly dry, as is the Texas smoked beef brisket and the pulled pork. Luckily, you have the caddy of sauces on the table to douse your food in. Of the sauces, the chipotle-raspberry doesn't taste as good out of the bottle but the tangy bbq will do the trick with any of the meats. The pulled pork isn't your usual variety - it's not dunked in sauce or shredded too finely, and it's a little firmer in texture. It was tasty but it might not be what you picture if you're used to a more conventional pulled pork. The roast chicken is ordinary. The meat is juicy but the smoke and flavor don't penetrate the meat. Sprinkle the rib dust on the meat, however, and it's really tasty. Still, this bird doesn't hold a candle to other whole chicken preparations in non-bbq restaurants like Peruvian rotisserie chicken; if you're at Wildwood, you might as well go for the things that truly reak of bbq like ribs, brisket, or even a burger.

Wildwood BBQ's strength is its service. And it's important that they nail it because it's what the atmopshere hinges on. Our server was pleasantly unpushy and friendly but also attentive - just what you want to go with your slow cookin'. The restaurant management either has done a good job recruiting or they've done a great job instilling a warm and fun culture in only a few weeks of existence, or both. Some details were missed, such as empty waters or a lack of extra plates for sharing. But they did other things to "go the extra mile": they repeatedly brought fresh new mugs of good tasting coffee and nearly ran after us when we had left a magazine at the table. It was clear that they cared; it almost seemed like they embodied the youth of the restaurant and were working hard to establish themselves. Sometimes, the food takes a back seat (or a sideseat) when the people are so pleasant.

Bottom line is, if are you looking for barbeque then you've got a solid option in Wildwood. The menu is manageable and pleasantly straightforward, not too many items but all the ones that you're looking for. The food doesn't astound but it'll satisfy your bbq fix, and the experience is versatile so you can go there for a variety of non-vegetarian occasions. The service is fun and relaxed - just what you want when you walk in the door. Hopefully they can figure out a way to retain more juiciness in their meats and add better sauces on the table but all in all, you'll get your money's worth.

Ippudo NY (Hakata Ippudo)

5/20/2008
East Village: 65 4th Ave (at 10th St) - (212) 388-0088
Price: Cheap Eats
Rating (1-10): 8

If you're looking to kick back, enjoy a long, leisurely meal and conversation, this isn't the best spot. But if you're ready for the 100 yard dash of eating, go to Ippudo because there's no better ramen in NYC. Chances are, if you're going out for ramen, you know what you're in for: leaning your face into the hot steam rising off of a bowl of noodles and broth, probably sweating, maybe nose running, eating as fast as you can, making slurping noises, and loving it. With ramen, it's important to eat fast because the taste changes by the minute and after 10 minutes, it won't be any good. In Japanese, it's called "nobiru" and it's basically like the noodles go stale.

Ippudo is a distinctly Japanese joint and seemingly everyone who works there is Japanese. At the same time, the decor and space are not traditional of a cramped and narrow countertop ramen joint. There's still that frenetic feel but it's also spacious and hip. The back opens up to a large eating area with communal tables, as well as private tables and booths - with open kitchens surrounding the window-less room. The design is truly impressive and they didn't cut any corners with their decor or furtniture. In short, it's cool and you feel cool sitting in the room.

The Tonkotsu ramen, the rich pork broth ramen featured at the top of their menu, is an intensely falvorful, buttery bowl of broth with perfectly cooked homemade noodles. These arent the curly, starchy, gelatinous, cook-it-till-you-kill-it college dorm-style noodles; these are thin, straight, firm, and delicious. Just like a great homemade Italian pasta, you don't realize what noodles can be until you taste it. The Tonkotsu is probably the best bowl I've had in NY (only RaiRaiken would rival). As my friend pointed out, the ramen is salty in a pleasing way, and not over-salty. I wasn't guzzling down my water as happens when food is too salty, even when it tastes good - instead I was just sweating and trying to eat more, faster. What's more, you can order a second helping of noodles to throw into the leftover broth for only $2, which basically doubles the portion (just be sure to have them bring the noodles when you're nearing the end of your first serving - otherwise, they'll sit and go bad).

The Miso Ramen broth - which is miso-based as the name suggests, is similarly balanced, salty and good. For pork lovers, it doesn't have the same depth of flavor and porkiness that you might crave after the Tonkotsu but on the other hand, if pork isn't your thing, this, and other bowls, are great alternatives and also have perfectly cooked noodles. The downside is that for non-Tokotsu bowls, you don't have the option for a second serving of noodles. In all honesty, one serving was filling for me.

As for weaknesses, the garnish was too sparse. Perhaps it allows the noodles and broth to be showcased but I'd consider it more balanced than a bowl of carbs, if there were more than just two thin slices of pork tenderloin and a forgettable portion of veggies. The Miso Ramen included a non-traditional garnish of red and yellow peppers - which didn't add flavor or substance - and cubed carrot - whose sweetness didn't match the rest of the dish. To boost the volume of the garnish, I added mo' pork - the braised pork belly side. For $3, it was was decent enough but surprisingly tough, almost as if it had been reheated in the microwave.

While the service is friendly, that's the one part that seems to lack a little of the Japanese touch. The pace of the service is so hurried that I couldn't help but get the impression that they wanted me out, and the next table in, as quickly as possible. Less than 1 minute after we were seated, the server came to take our order. When we received the bill, the same thing happened and two other servers asked if it was ok to take the bill after that, before we had even put anything in the bill. In the end, we dropped our credit cards at our own pace and lingered. In a train station ramen joint in the middle of Tokyo, this kind of fast-paced eat-and-go mentality might be appropriate but that's not acceptable here. Also a bit surprising was that the server told me to remind him of my request for second noodle helping later in the meal. I don't know if it's because Ippudo hasn't figured out a good system to time the delayed second noodle helping, but regardless, the onus should not be on the customer.

When you say ramen, a lot of people still envision the packs that contain the brick of noodle and mysterious packet of flavor. At Ippudo, you'll see what real ramen is all about. The overall experience feels like a cool, unique thing to do - something different from the well-trodden genres like Italian, French, sushi, burgers-and-beer pub food, etc. The prices for this ramen experience can approach close to $20 (food, tip, etc), which is expensive for ramen - so you should expect to get more than your average Asian noodle bowl joint. But they'll do it right and it'll be worth the extra couple of bucks.

City View

5/17/2008
San Francisco, Financial District/Chinatown: 662 Commercial St - (415) 398-2838
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 7

Full Review:
The "Best Dim Sum" can be a contentious topic, like best bbq, best ramen, or best pizza. At a certain point, it's a subjective judgment that hinges on personal taste, social context, and also chance. The fact is, there are a lot of places that will send you off with a pleasantly/painfully full stomach and you'll have gotten your fix. What sets one place above another is in your mind's eye. At City View, the food was at a quality that I could not help but be pleased with - but what impressed me most was the friendly service and cleanliness; both things that I do not find often in my dim sum runs in NYC. City View had the best service I've seen in a US Chinese restaurant. As a result, I could relax, feel like I wasn't being rushed or pressured in any way, and feel like they actually wanted me there.

None of the food disappointed, save for the soup dumplings which, though tasty, actually had little if any soup. Shrimp wrapped in clear noodle was flavorful and firm texture, not leathery or tough. The pork dumplings were particularly delicious. Shumai also good. Gyoza were average. And the deep-fried sesame balls and a quenelle-shaped rice cakes with pork filling - extremely good. The chicken feet were tender with intense marrow/fat flavor of chicken. I feel confident in saying that anything you get, you'll like. I think you'll inevitably feel a bit heavy after eating a lot of dim sum, but I didn't leave City View feeling unhealthy. Best of all, I didn't get the feeling of having eaten a bag of salt, like I often do with cheap Chinese joints that kill it with msg.

To be fair, City View charges more than most dim sum restaurants in New York's Chinatown: I ate for $25/person, but you could probably eat just as much for $15/person in other places. What you pay for - and get - is a clean environment, welcoming, friendly service, and quality, tasty dim sum that tastes as good as any out there in SF or NYC. Whether it's the best I've ever had, I don't know. It's entirely possible that it tasted better in my head because I enjoyed the service and the surroundings, and so I wanted to like it. To be honest, it doesn't matter because I appreciated City View, whatever the reason.

Elementi

5/11/2008
Park Slope: 140 7th Ave (btwn Carroll and Garfield) - (718) 788-8388
Price: Mid-Range
Rating (1-10): 5

Full Review:
Elimenti is a peculiar new restaurant in Park Slope whose strength is its food and weakness is its lack of character and identity. I'd go there for its food and its chef are very good, but don't expect a particulary memorable overall dining experience. Elementi won't inspire that fondness of your favorite bbq joint, cozy neighborhood nook, or Cheers bar.

It's a fancy looking, large, and centrally located space in a hip area of the Slope that certainly catches the eye when you stroll by. The food sounds delicious and refined with interesting but not overwhelming ingredients ("Lobster meat, Prosecco wine, chives in shell consomme"). But when you peer into the place, it seems devoid of character, soul. The website bills the food as "pan-Italian" but to me that says more 'Olive Garden' than 'serious food establishment.' When you walk-in, you see a large piece of art which is nice, but features the word "Brooklyn" in different ways and has nothing to do with Italy. On the inside, there are non-descript posters on the wall that maybe vaguely recall Italy. To be frank, this could have been French or Spanish or any other type of modernish restaurant and I would have believed it. When I walked out, it left me thinking, "I don't really know what that place was going for" and it wasn't until I looked at the website afterwards that I found out.

As for decor, it's expensive, clean, and modern looking, but at the same time, everything is a dreary brownish color. When there aren't that many people there, it looks lonely. Even when they do have some tables filled, there's something about the interior layout that makes it look sparse, not cozy, with nothing in particular drawing you in. In a word, it's drab. So when I found this place a couple months back when it opened, I read the menu out front and thought - man, I bet that this food is really good but I don't really want to go in there.


For brunch, I had a frittata wth white onions and bacon. The saltiness of the bacon and sweetness of the onion make it nice and it's affordable at $9. The egg was a little overcooked and chewy but most fritattas I've had have been like that. The dish came with some home fries, which were tender but fairly standard and too greasy, and a simple salad which was fine, nothing special there either. The best plate was the endive salad appetizer, which was quite good and included delicious, crunchy, salted walnuts, a beet dressing, slices of red beet, and its usual companion, goat cheese. The endives were sliced into thin, crisp batons and presented attractively and generously on the dish. It's a refreshing, different kind of salad with great taste and texture. Overall, I don't think you'd be disappointed if you came here for brunch, but it's not a must-go brunch spot. The brunch menu isnt inspiring or fun - it's pretty ordinary.


Service at Elementi is friendly enough and we were greeted with a warm smile at the door, but at the table, the servers were uncoordinated, inattentive to details, and not personable. I cannot recall any introduction from our servers, banter, or friendly conversation. They weren't rude, but just - and this is a theme for this restaurant - lacked character. They missed details such as my missing fork or empty water glasses. A side of honey was brought out in a platic cup that you get your mustard in at Shake Shack. Immediately after we ordered drinks, a different server came to ask us our drink order. When a busser was clearing the appetizer, she asked me if I had ordered more food, and took that as a cue to leave my silverware. We difficulty flagging down passing staff for the bill (effective waitstaff should constantly scan the room like hawks for things to take care of, people who're looking for help). Amdist a busy service, I can understand a few slip-ups and generally I like to give servers a benefit of the doubt rather than criticize - but it wasn't particularly busy when all this was happening. Luckily, service can improve and as it is now, Elementi's is not a fatal weakness, but it's definitely not a selling point.

Elementi isn't a restaurant that I could fall in love with partly because it's so ambiguous. But I do like the restaurant, its menu, and its very reasonable prices. I'm rooting for it because if they can inject some life, some soul, into the place, and they can improve the service, it will allow the food to be showcased in an environment it deserves. Elementi has the potential to be a place that helps the Brooklyn food scene creep up in prestige. But even if it stays the same and its execution does not meet its ambitious goals, I consider it a positive addition to Park Slope.

Soho Park

5/7/2008
SoHo: 62 Prince (and Lafayette) - (212) 219-2129
Price Range: Cheap Eats
Rating (1-10): 3

Soho Park is a nice place to grab some beers after work or before a dinner. But only get food if the weather and your company is good, and you don't really care about the quality of the meal; on a nice night, the open air design offers atmosphere, breeziness, and people-watching that allows you to enjoy the experience and ignore the food quality.

The restaurant is situated in SoHo along a popular thoroughfare and it's a converted garage so it can open up to the outside better than most traditional restaurants. The food isn't good - I had a bratwurst sandwhich that would take second to any brat casually cooked on a summer grill - but it's also pretty cheap, with most things under $15. Still, in this price range, there are a number of other outdoor-ish/backyard summer eateries, most notably Shake Shack.

Also forgettable at Soho Park are the cocktails which, at $10, are overpriced. I had a mojito that was disappointing in size and alcohol content, and other ones that I saw seemed to be the same. It's NYC so you get NYC prices but it's also expected you get NYC creativity or quality - both were lacking.

So what's this place good for? Beers. They're normally priced and when the weather is nice, the atmosphere is great - so with the two together, it ends up being a good deal.

Merkato 55

4/28/2008
Meatpacking District: 55 Gansevoort (and Greenwhich) - (212) 255-8555
Price: High End
Rating (1-10): 7

The quick and dirty:
Merkato 55 is a solid restaurant and a welcome infusion of African cuisine to NYC. I would absolutely go back, maybe for a date or with people visiting town or with friends before a night out. That's not something I'd say about many restaurants here. It's a fun atmosphere in a hip neighborhood and makes you feel like you're exploring when you read the menu. Although the space doesn't seem to match the comfort-food type style of cuisine - hip, cold, Meatpackingly impersonal - it's nice to see an underrepresented cuisine showcased with flare in a new, stylish light.

The food is full of deep, rich, biting flavors and the key here is spice - spices you can't name, spices that are bold, spices that make you anxious to get another bite. The dishes overall demonstrate strong command of flavors with, again, a particularly impressive integration of spices which make a statement. Because Chef Samuelsson utilizes spices so well, Merkato 55 offers a refreshing alternative to the heavy feeling you get at many restaurants whose food is most heavily enriched by butter, fat, and marrow. Best dishes I tasted were the guinea hen and the fried chickpea dumplings. Desserts were ok and the ice creams were good but the strength is in the savory items.

Biggest weakness was the clumsy and seemingly inexperienced service; they need to focus on training and especially on the timing when they bus plates so that it doesn't feel rushed or like it's interrupting the dining experience.

There's plenty of reason to go here - it's different food and usually well-executed. Can be the beginning of a fun night or simply a fun night on its own.


Full Review:
Tonight's visit was to Merkato 55, the much celebrated Chef Macus Samuelsson's newest venture in the Meatpacking District. Chef Samuelsson greeted us with a broad smile and warm handshake shortly after we were seated at our table - and it appears that his friendly and genuine demeanor have found expression, at least in part, in this restaurant. At Merkato 55, the food is full of deep, rich, biting flavor and the key here is spice - spices you can't name, spices that are bold, spices that make you anxious to get another bite.

Some might be confused by the pan-African theme or laugh at the idea of trying to combine all in one. Yes, it's a little confusing when you try to define what makes up the cuisine at this restaurant. But to me the point is not to create a single pan-African palate but rather to pull out various elements from around the continent. So at the end of the day, who cares about cohesion if it's delicious and exposes you to fun combinations you might not tasted before. The guinea hen was best - the bird is served in a reddish jus and covered in a dry spice rub - the seasoning was delicious, not overly salted, and fit deliciously with a tart mix of carmelized onions, roasted cherry tomatoes, lemon rind, and bitter greens. It's been a while since I've tasted a dish with such strong, harmonious flavors that lit up in your mouth. The dish demonstrated a strong command of flavors and an ability to dance on the adventurous and unexpected without being gimmicky/pretentious.

Also good was the fried chickpea dumplings served as spicy nuggets mixed in with various differently textured garnish. The taste of the garnish paled next to the fried chickpeas, which melt in your mouth and, as one of the people at our table remarked, a spicy saag. I'd get it again.

The chicken doro wat dish came recommended by the server but oddly, her warning that it was very spicy turned out not to be true - in fact, the flavor was flat and the meat portion was lacking. The slightly sour injera bread was nice though, and when used to scoop the sauce and chicken, made for much better bites. The rack of lamb entree was beautifully cooked but perhaps also not that different taste-wise, from a lot of racks of lamb - after tasting the guinea hen, the lamb was less exciting and not as hard hitting as the hen.


Desserts were tasty as well, and again spiced in interesting ways. The creamy ice creams were quite nice and generally melded well with the rest of the dessert - in my case, the pineapple tart which was too sweet but had a nice, thin, crunchy crust. The chocolate samosas were the most original that I saw, with melting, hot, spicy, bitter chocolate flowing out of pockets of chocolate dough (kind of like an empanada). It's actually only mildly sweet and more spicy than anything so it's not for everyone, but if you're looking for the unique, this would be your selection.

Service at the restaurant was definitely clumsy and a bit disorganized, though polite. One of my pet peeves is when a server takes or tries to take a dish prematurely - there's a timing to taking bussing tables and if done wrong, it can make you feel rushed or even feel bad about wanting to keep your plate a bit longer. In this case a server interrupted our conversation mid-sentence to take two of four plates, try to take my dish, which I still wanted, and leave only one that clearly wasn't finished. If only one person is left eating, I think it makes that person feel awkward and maybe embarassed to be the only one with food. Being watched while eating isn't that fun. There should have been no hurry especially given that it was a slow night at the restaurant. Other gripes: we requested tap water but bottled water was served; 3 of the 4 entrees were presented first and then the 4th came trailing afterwards; my water glass had a sharp chip on the rim; despite being a slow night, I saw a couple patries arrive to no one at the host desk. Additionally, I like it when the server can give some suggestions or opinions with some authority, when solicited. I find it helpful to hear a couple words to gauge the kinds of foods that are strengths on the menu or the server's knowledge of it. After all, they are there a lot more than I am and should know. That isn't to say I want someone telling me what to get right off the bat, but if I'm asking for it, I want it. The server we had was fine - knew the menu, ingredients, and descriptions - but had few assertive suggestions. That's a let down - take a stand; sure there's a risk of suggesting something I won't like but I'll take responsibility for that, if that happens. The food was surprisingly good - but the service was surprisingly amateur.

Decor and atmosphere are generally fun at Merkato 55 but there's a soul to this restaurant and its food that I think is betrayed by its somewhat cold, impersonal surroundings. It seems better suited to a cozy or warmer feeling place but then again, it is the Meatpacking District, and moreover, I can appreciate Merkato 55's effort to present African cuisine in a new way, at a new level. All in all, it's a stylish, fun place to hang out without the crazy prices - and it's not uncomfortable like so many exclusive places. I would go back to this place, maybe for a date or with people visiting town or with friends before a night out.

It'll be interesting to see if this restaurant sticks around given the challenges of operating such a large space in a chique area. They'll need to shore up their service and tweak a couple dishes but it's hard not to root for this one to succeed.